What does 'sksksk and I oop' mean? The phrases used by VSCO Girls explained

3 September 2019, 16:44

By Katie Louise Smith

What does 'sksksk' even mean?! Where did 'and I oop' even come from? Here's everything you need to know...

VSCO Girls, for those of you that are not in the know, are a community of teenagers who have been labelled "the tumblr girls of 2019." They edit all of their photos with the VSCO app, use metal straws, always have scrunchies attached to their wrist and a hydroflask at hand. Urban Dictionary defines them as "basically the most basic girl you’ll find out there."

Much like Fiat 500 Twitter and TikTok eGirls before them, VSCO Girls have now found themselves the subject of a viral moment: the 'sksksk and I oop' meme.

READ MORE: What is a VSCO girl? The funniest memes inspired by the TikTok teens

The creation of the two iconic internet phrases rolled into one is currently being attributed to them but actually, they didn't come up with either of them.

Here's what 'sksksk' and 'and I oop' actually mean, when to use them and which Twitter communities originated the phrases in the first place.

What does 'sksksk' mean?

'Sksksk' is a variation of a keyboard smash of random letters that people use to type laughter or to express how awkward something is on social media.

The phrase has more recently become attributed to VSCO Girls and TikTok eGirls but before they were even a thing, it became popular on Twitter amongst various different groups. While some people claim that stan Twitter originated the phrase (K-pop stan Twitter specifically), it can be traced back to the black Twitter community and, as reported by BuzzFeed News, Portuguese-speaking Twitter users in Brazil.

Basically, VSCO Girls didn't invent the phrase. People have been using it on social media for years but the meaning has still mostly stayed the same.

A lot of the phrases used by stan Twitter and VSCO Girls, like the viral 'here's the tea' phrase for example, come from black women and the black LGBTQ+ community. The "And I oop" meme that was created by drag queen Jasmine Masters is another perfect example.

What does 'and I oop' mean?

'And I oop' can be used as a reaction to express sudden surprise or shock over an unexpected situation. For example, you can say it if someone calls someone else out on social media in a mic drop moment (because honestly, who says 'mic drop' anymore?!)

Again, 'and I oop' doesn't originate in the VSCO Girl world. The phrase was created by RuPaul's Drag Race star Jasmine Masters when she accidentally hit her testicles on a chair mid-live stream. The clip went viral with everyone turning it into a meme and it's now been co-opted by the internet at large, with the VSCO girls taking over.

The overuse of both of those phrases have also kicked off a new batch of VSCO Girl memes where people are now combining the two and honestly, it's getting out! of! control!